Amanda Knox judge: She may know the 'real truth'

The judge in the Amanda Knox appeal said he thought she might know the “real
truth” about who killed Meredith Kercher - and that she “could be
responsible”.

Amanda Knox's tears of joy at reaching Seattle - but in Italy the judge who presided over her appeal said he thinks she may know the "real truth"Photo: GETTY

By Nick Squires in Perugia, Mark Hughes and Nick Allen in Seattle, and Gordon Rayner

11:51PM BST 05 Oct 2011

In surprisingly frank remarks, judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann said that the American and her boyfriend “maybe know” what really happened on the night that Miss Kercher was found stabbed to death in the house she shared with Miss Knox in Perugia.

The judge stressed in a television interview in Italy last night that the verdict handed down by the appeal court was a reflection of the “the truth that was created in the trial.”

“But the real truth could be different,” he said, adding: “They (Miss Knox and co-accused Raffaele Sollecito) could also be responsible, but the proof isn’t there.”

He and another judge were responsible for advising six lay jurors in their deliberations.

He said Rudy Guede, an Ivory Coast-born drifter who is now the only person behind bars for the murder in Nov 2007, “certainly” knew what happened. “I won’t say he’s the only one to know,” the judge added.

The judge spoke as Miss Knox celebrated her freedom with pizza and wine during an “emotional” homecoming party with her family in Seattle yesterday.

Miss Knox, who said she was "overwhelmed" to be back in America after her four-year prison ordeal, was greeted by cousins, aunts and uncles who had hung out "Welcome Home Amanda" banners.

She has now gone into hiding as her advisers handle multi-million dollar offers for interviews, and has told her family her immediate ambition is to finish the university course that was interrupted by her wrongful conviction for the murder of Meredith Kercher.

Miss Knox, 24, was joined by a group of about 12 friends and family for the homecoming party at a relation's home in Seattle.

Her grandmother, Elisabeth Huff, told The Daily Telegraph: "We as a family got together for a couple of hours to have a chance to hug her and to make her feel comfortable. It was not a big occasion. Someone baked a cake and we had pizza and wine, but no one was drinking too much. The champagne will come later.

"It was very relaxed. There was no music but the television was on and we saw the interview that Amanda had given at the airport. We all got emotional at that. Amanda was very emotional." Mrs Huff, 74, said Miss Knox has not yet discussed the multi-million dollar deals that are on the table, and "really has no idea how big this story has become".

She confirmed that Miss Knox's "long-term plan" was to complete her languages degree at the University of Washington but added: "Her first plan is to have a sleep-in this morning."

Miss Knox's stepmother, Cassandra, said when she left Seattle airport with her stepdaughter it began to drizzle. She said: "I told her it was just for her and Amanda said, 'I love it, it means I'm home.'"

Miss Knox's father, Curt, speaking at his home, said his daughter had spent much of the homecoming with two young cousins, who were aged one when she was jailed and are now five. Mr Knox said he was looking forward to taking his daughter for a drink now that she is past the Washington state drinking age of 21.

He said: "As a father I'm looking forward to sitting down and her buying me a drink. She never had this wild life that people said because she couldn't get into a bar in the state of Washington."

Mr Knox told The Daily Telegraph: “I think Raffaele at some point in time will probably visit Seattle and it will be very nice for them to actually see each other again.”

Asked whether his daughter and Sollecito had spoken on the phone since their release, Mr Knox said: “I’m not aware that they did.”

He also said he intended to reach out to the Kercher family, saying “At a point in time I will be sending a personal message” to them.

Asked about his daughter's whereabouts, Mr Knox said she was "in the United States," raising the possibility that she may have been moved out of Seattle following her party.

Miss Knox made no mention of Miss Kercher when she addressed the media after getting off a British Airways flight in Seattle yesterday morning, instead thanking her supporters "for being there for me". Wiping away tears, she said: "I'm really overwhelmed right now. I was looking down from the aeroplane, and it seemed like everything wasn't real."

Miss Kercher's family returned home to Coulsdon, Surrey, to be told that Rudy Guede, the only person still serving a prison sentence for the 21-year-old student's murder, is now hoping for a retrial.